'Celebration of the 96' to mark 25 years

A special charity event involving players past and present will take place at Anfield on Easter Monday to celebrate the lives of the 96 Liverpool fans who died at Hillsborough.

The 'Celebration of the 96' event, which has been planned by the Hillsborough Family Support Group (HFSG), with support from Liverpool FC, will include a 90-minute match between local Reds legends and international legends.

Taking place on Monday, April 21, the event will also see a community football session on the pitch with first-team, Academy and Ladies players all involved.

Fans who purchase a ticket by Friday, April 4 will also have the chance to enter a competition to go onto the pitch at Anfield to meet with first-team players and put a question to one of them as part of a Q&A session.

Tickets for the event will be priced at £15 for an adult and £5 for kids. All proceeds will be split between the HFSG and LFC's charity, the Liverpool FC Foundation, which will be put back into the local community through the Foundation's programmes.

More details of the event will follow, but the list of legends who will be playing for the Liverpool local team includes names like David James, Jamie Carragher, Gary McAllister, Ray Houghton, Ian Rush, Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman, Peter Beardsley and John Barnes. They will be managed by Kenny Dalglish.

The Liverpool international team, which will be managed by Gerard Houllier, will include the likes of Luis Garcia, Markus Babbel, Jan Molby, Stephane Henchoz, Stig Inge Bjornebye, Dietmar Hamann and Vladimir Smicer.

There will also be plenty of pre-match entertainment before kick-off at 2pm GMT.

Margaret Aspinall, chair of the HFSG, said: "We wanted to host an event to celebrate the lives of the 96 and give people the opportunity to come to Anfield for a fun afternoon.

"We've decided to split the proceeds with LFC's Foundation, so it will not only support the families, but also support future generations within the Liverpool community.

"It's great to see the current and former Liverpool players showing their support in numbers and I hope a lot of people will come along to join us on the day."

Kenny Dalglish added: "This is a great opportunity for the families and fans to come together at Anfield for a celebration in honour of the 96.

"Everyone here at Liverpool Football Club is behind this event and it is also great to see so many former players travelling in to make this a special day."

Tickets will initially be available to season ticket holders and LFC members from Friday, February 28, with a general sale to follow on the week commencing March 10.